Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Duroc swine

(Encyclopedia)Duroc swine dŭˈrŏk, do͞oˈ– [key], breed originating during the 1800s in the NE United States from crosses among a number of red strains existing in that region. One of the most numerous breeds,...

alizarin

(Encyclopedia)alizarin əlĭzˈərĭn [key], or 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone, mordant vegetable dye obtained originally from the root of the madder plant (Rubia tinctorum), in which it occurs as a glucoside. The term...

Irish terrier

(Encyclopedia)Irish terrier, a breed of hardy working terrier developed in the British Isles and believed to be one of the oldest terriers. It stands about 18 in. (46 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 25 to ...

Davis, John William

(Encyclopedia)Davis, John William, 1873–1955, American lawyer and public official, b. Clarksburg, W.Va. Admitted (1895) to the bar, he taught (1896–97) at Washington and Lee Univ. and later practiced (1897–19...

Ashley, William Henry

(Encyclopedia)Ashley, William Henry, c.1778–1838, American fur trader and politician, b. Virginia. In 1820 he was elected lieutenant governor of Missouri. He sent fur-trading expeditions up the Missouri River to ...

Selkirk, town, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Selkirk, town (1991 pop. 9,815), SE Man., Canada, on the Red River. Just S of Lake Winnipeg, it is a port for products from N Manitoba. There are steel mills, foundries, and shipyards in the town. It ...

hematite

(Encyclopedia)hematite hĕmˈətīt [key], mineral, an oxide of iron, Fe2O3, containing about 70% metal, occurring in nature in red to reddish-brown earthy masses and in steel-gray to black crystalline forms. Hemat...

Wright, Harry

(Encyclopedia)Wright, Harry (Wiliam Henry Wright), 1835–95, English-American baseball player and manager, b. Sheffield, England. His father, a professional cricket player, moved the family to New York to join the...

brazilwood

(Encyclopedia)brazilwood, common name for several trees of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) whose wood yields a red dye. The dye has largely been replaced by synthetic dyes for fabrics, but it is still used in...

cardinal, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)cardinal or redbird, common name for a North American songbird of the family Fringillidae (New World finch family). In the eastern cardinal, Richmondena cardinalis, the male is bright scarlet with bla...

Browse by Subject